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Netflix Hopes That Love and Politics Mix

Netflix's ‘House of Cards’ is set to return for second season on Valentine’s Day.

Forget about taking your sweetie to the movies next Valentine's Day. Netflix(NASDAQ:NFLX) would rather you order in and binge watch season two of House of Cards, its Emmy-winning original series.

There's likely to be less at stake this time. Orange Is the New Black ranks as Netflix's most-watched original series, while Arrested Development has earned raves. Here's a closer look at how critics view Netflix's slate of original shows:

Show

Rotten Tomatoes Rating (Critics / Viewers)

Studio Partner

Arrested Development(season 4)

77% / 87%

Imagine Entertainment, The Hurwitz Company

Hemlock Grove(season 1)

27% / 50%

Gaumont International Television, ShineBox SMC

House of Cards(season 1)

81% / 96%

Media Rights Capital

Orange Is the New Black(season 1)

89% / 100%

Lions Gate, Tilted Productions

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia.

Not bad when you consider that Orange Is the New Black ranks higher than HBO's Veep (85%) and is within spitting distance of HBO's Boardwalk Empire (90%) and Girls (93%). Game of Thrones, which earned approval from 100% of the 33 critics rating season 3, is HBO's top show.

Can we expect gains when season 2 of House of Cards airs on Valentine's Day? So far, showrunner Beau Willimon has proved tight-lipped about his plans. Meanwhile, Netflix's teaser is tantalizing in its opacity:

Robin Wright will return as Claire Underwood in season 2 of House of Cards. Source: Netflix.

Maybe that's for the best. With a growing subscriber base and an aggressive plan for expanding its original programming slate, Netflix -- unlike the politicians it satirizes -- no longer needs to lobby for audience support.

Author

Tim Beyers first began writing for the Fool in 2003. Today, he's an analyst for Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova. At Fool.com, he covers disruptive ideas in technology and entertainment. Find him online at timbeyers.me or send email to tbeyers@foolcontractors.com. For more insights, follow Tim on Twitter.